The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-08-13
The Agricultural Editor.

Dyke FOrteScue ramDled into the OF
flee of rural newspaper published in
the interest of a small class of rural
readers, and named THE Farmers
Friend and CnlfOators' CAambi0n.-
Dyke was fresh from Denver, where he
had been doing local work on daily.
He wanted situation-he wanted it
badly, and he soon closed a bargain
with the proprietor of the The Farmers
Friend and CuAtl0ators' CAambton.-
The proprietor intended to be absent
for two weeks, and Dyke undertook to
hold the journals head steadily up
stream until his return.
'You will receive some visitors, quite
likely said the proprietor. Enter
tain 'em-entertain 'em in manner
which will reflect credit on the paper.
They will want to talk stock, farming,
horticulture, etc., you know. Give
it to 'em strong
Dyke bowed, borrowed half dollar,
got clean shave, glass of beer, and
soon returned to face the music and
edit the first agricultural journal with
which he had ever been connected.
Il can feel that, with my journalistic
experience it will be just fun torun an ag-
ricultural paper said Dyke to himself.
At two o'clock P. NJ. the first visitor
showed up at the door of the office, and
Dyke cordially invited him inside
The farmer entered, hesitatingly, and
remarked that he had expected to meet
the proprietor, with whom he had an
appointment to discuss ensilage.
Il am in charge of the Journal said
Dyke.
'Oh, you are. Well you seem to
have pretty clean office here
sYes,' replied Dyke. sBut about
this ensilage. Ensilage is pretty good
breed, isn't it?
Breed = exclaimed the farmer !;
why
Il mean it's sure crop; something
that you can rely
Crop! Why it isn't crop at ALL
Eyes, yes, l know it isn't crop, said
Dyke, perspiring until his collar began
to melt away down the back of his
neck; 'but you can do better and
cleaner work on stubby ground than
Take it for sulky plow, do you7'
mo, no. said Dyke. you don't
seem to understand me. Now, if a
farmer builds an ensilage on low
ground
Builds an ensilage You seem to
have got the thing mixed up with some
kind of a granary.'
sPshaw, no, continued Dyke. Il
must make myself palmer. You see,
this ensilage, properly mixed with one
part guano and three parts hypophos-
phate of antimony, with the addition
of little bran and tan bark, and the
whole favored with chloride of line,
makes a top dressing for strawberry beds
which
'Why ensilage isn't no manure.
mo, certainly not said Dyke. Il
know it is not often used in that way.
You don't catch my drift. When I
said top dressing I meant turkey dress
ing-stufing, you know for Thanksgiv.
ing .
Great Heavens, man Ensilage isn't
human food
mo, not a human food exactly said
poor Dyke, grinning like an almshouse
idiot; 'it isn't a: food at all in the true
sense of the word. My plan has always
been to lasso the hog with trace chain,
and after pinning his ears back with a
clothes-pin put the ensilage into his
nose with pair of tweezers.
my good lands! You don't use
ensilage to ring hogs
Il never believed myself that it
should be used for that purpose; but
when you want to ring hens or young
calves to keep them from sucking
The farmer gravely shook his head.
did you every try ensilage on the
hired girl2' said Dyke desperately, and
winking like a bat at 1880 A. M.
The farmer slowly arose, and with
some evidence of rheumatic twinges in
his legs.
young man, he said, solemnly, you
are long ways from home, amt you +
'Yes,' replied Dyke, dropping his
eyes beneath the stern glances of the
farmer. 'In my ancestral halls in Eng
land, sad-eyed retainers wearily watch
and wait for my return.
Go home, young man go home to
your feudal castle, and while on your
way across the rolling deep, muse
on the fact that ensilage is simply
canned food for live stock-put up ex-
pressly for family use in a silo, which
is nothing less than an air-tight pit
where corn-stalks, grass, millet, clover
alfalfa, and other green truck is preserv-
ed for winter use, as green and verdant
as the sub-editor of The Farmers
E,1end and Culsvators' Champion.
And Dyke Fortescue sighed as he re-
marked to himself, There amt so
blamed much fun in running an agri-
cs,1t,ro1 ,>ooar &c thou0ht